A man has been jailed for 16 months after a £160,000 cannabis cultivation was uncovered in Barassie.
Lefter Alias said he arrived in Scotland from Albania thinking he had a job in the building industry.
He claimed he was tricked into looking after plants in the garage of a bungalow in Hillhouse Gardens.
Alias, 39, was arrested on December 1 after a neighbour smelled cannabis from the property.
He admitted producing the Class B drug and being concerned in its supply.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard the accused, who is single but has a 15-year-old son in Albania, arrived in Scotland to work.
His lawyer explained: “He thought he was getting a job in the construction industry. That information was false. When he arrived he found out that his job was to tend a cannabis cultivation.
"At this point he was desperate as he owed £10,000 in Albania. He is remorseful and has pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.”
Sheriff Thomas Millar said: “You could have chosen not to get involved when you found out the true nature of the work you were expected to do. You failed to do so and must accept the consequences of that decision.”
The 16-month sentence was reduced from two years in light of the guilty pleas.
